Vote now: Who should be the WaFd Bank Idaho High School Athlete of the Week (May 15-May 20)?
Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Idaho High School Athlete of the Week for May 15-May 20 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff. Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday at 11:59 p.m and the winner will be announced Monday, May 29th. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com or tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @sbliveid.
THIS WEEK’S WAFD BANK IDAHO ATHLETE OF THE WEEK NOMINEES:
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
IDAHO NOMINEES
Gatlin Bair, Burley boys track and field: Finished the spring season in grand fashion - two Class 4A sprints titles and a pair of personal-best times. He ran 10.15 seconds in the 100-meter preliminaries, and 20.41 seconds in the 200-meter preliminaries Friday - then won the IHSAA titles a day later.
Rayann Brown, Skyview softball: The reigning Class 5A champions had to beat unbeaten Pocatello in back-to-back games to win the 4A title. And the Hawks did. The Carroll College infield signee had three hits in both games, including a pair of doubles in each of the victories (7-3 and 12-10).
Brody Burch, Pocatello boys track and field/baseball: Won the Class 4A 800-meter run with a career-best time of 1 minute, 54.28 seconds (holding off Bishop Kelly's Kevin Corrigan), then flew to Twin Falls to join the baseball team in the state finals against Skyview, scoring three runs and earning the save in the 14-4 win.
Kendall Clark and Meya Young, Melba girls track and field: Both seniors set personal-best marks in sweeping the springboard jumping events at the Class 2A meet. Young went 18 feet, 71/4 inches to win the long jump (by 26 inches) while Clark went 38-03/4 to win the triple jump (by 31/2 feet).
Maelynn Durham, Gooding softball: Tossed her first no-hitter of the season in the Class 3A tournament, and against the biggest of opponents - defending state champion and third-seeded Homedale. The junior all-state ace struck out 18 hitters for the Senators in a 2-0 consolation-round win.
Mantha Hatzenbeller, Owyhee softball: Had six extra-base hits, including three home runs, in three Class 5A tournament games, all wins. Blasted a pair of home runs as part of her 3-for-4 showing in the Storm's 13-3 victory over Rigby in the finals. Also pitched four scoreless innings.
Augustas Haynes, Vallivue boys track and field: Senior stole the show in both Class 5A hurdles' finals against nationally-ranked Rusty Lee, of Sandpoint. Haynes won the 110 hurdles (14.37 seconds to Lee's 14.40) and 300 hurdles (38.18 to 38.20) at Mountain View High School.
Stanton Howell, Marsh Valley baseball: The senior utility player wrapped up his career in grand style - with a Class 3A title. He had three hits and three RBI, including the game-winning run-scoring single in the eighth inning as the Eagles beat Kimberly, 5-4. He was also the starting pitcher, striking out five hitters in six-plus innings.
Claire Petersen, Skyline girls track and field: Can now brag she's the fastest female high school sprinter to ever come out of Idaho. Set the all-time Idaho girls mark in the 100-meter dash finals - 11.81 - and also swept the 100 hurdles (14.34) and 300 hurdles (personal-best 43.06), winning the longer race by more than three seconds.